Walkers
by Maci-bby
Summary: Sakura, Naruto's cousin, was the only family he had left. He had to find her, protect her from these damn walkers. When he did, she seemed safe already in Sasuke's camp up north. But will they ever really be safe again? Yaoi, NaruSasuNaru (eventually) Consider this story my come back. Hiatus over.
1. Camp Konoha

So, I'm back.

Disclaimer: Consider Naruto 'disclaimed.' I don't own anything.

This is about zombies. Will probably get gruesome later. Also, it's yaoi. You were warned.

* * *

**Day 57**

Naruto stood slowly, stretching his sore limbs. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around, taking in his surroundings.

He was in what appeared to be the test lab of an abandoned hospital. He'd run in yesterday evening, as the sun began to set. He knew there were walkers out there, and sprinters and crawlers, too. All of them were masses of rotting flesh, boils and pus-filled lesions, just aching to tear him and apart and eat his flesh, brains, organs, whatever they could get their hands on. They didn't sleep, didn't seem to become any weaker. They only got hungrier, more desperate, as time went on. And, unfortunately, desperation often lead to extreme strength.

Naruto had seen a lot in the two months since the outbreak. It had started with something like the flu, but it escalated much too quickly. Doctors scrambled to make a vaccine that did nothing but multiply the strain's contagious pathogens. People became quickly confused, disoriented. In their eyes, their friends became foes. The infected became ravenous to the point that cooked meat couldn't fill their hunger. They were only satisfied with live, pulsing flesh. They could hear heartbeats from a mile away, smell flesh and sweat and tears.

It was a pandemic. Many nicknames for the creatures came to light, mostly zombies or walkers. And then, as time went on, there became different subspecies of the things, calling for more names to categorize the monsters. Some of the older walkers were weaker because they'd had the virus longer before it advanced. These were the ones that couldn't actually walk anymore but were still hungry, so they crawled, hence _crawlers_. Those freshly turned were faster, stronger, almost a mutated breed. These were the _sprinters_. Everything else fell in the general category of _walkers_, the term Naruto favored. "Zombie" made things seem too fake, too much like a stupid horror movie. Naruto cringed thinking about it.

He sighed. He needed to find his cousin. Sakura was the only family he had left, and he wasn't even sure she was still alive. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut and literally shook that thought from his head.

No. Sakura was strong. When he'd lost so much and had been about to crumble, it was Sakura that was there for him with a fearless glint in her eyes. Of course, he'd lost his family long before the virus had ravaged the world. He'd left Japan and swiftly made his way to America, but not without Sakura on his tail. She'd always been defiant, never backed down. When her parents held on too tight, she strained against their hold. She kept her hair bright pink, wore whatever she wanted, acted whatever way she felt was most like her. America was vastly different, for both of them, but Sakura was determined to fit in and never go crawling back. She'd made her decision to stick with Naruto, so she became one of the top medical students in an esteemed school to prove herself. Naruto, however, had nothing to hold him back from anything anymore at all. He traveled the U.S., jumping from one state to another, not even knowing himself what he was looking for.

The entire time, though, he stayed in close contact with his cousin. They talked daily, swapped stories and secrets. Even with miles between them, they were as close as ever. Naruto was in Florida when the pandemic hit, and Sakura was in New York. He had a long way to travel, but he'd been making his way to her ever since the cell phones, internet, and television had gone out. With no way to communicate, he'd been frantic to find her.

She was his emotional support, he was her physical protection. That's how it had always been. When they were still in school, no older than seven, he'd protected her from bullies and she'd protected him from the abuse his father slung at him. They were both twenty-one now, and things were very different. The virus had spread in Europe and Asia first, what with the higher populations and closer quarters. Now Sakura and Naruto were completely in the same boat. No family but each other. Which was why he was making his way to her, slowly but surely.

He'd been through many camps in many states. At this point, he was passing hope as he went, telling people about all the other groups out there that were fighting, surviving, not infected by the virus yet. There were a surprising many that were killing the walkers, avoiding their deadly bites that would turn a person against humanity. The hospital he was in, Cayuga Medical Center, was in Ithaca, New York. Sakura attended the NYU School of Medicine, but Naruto knew she had traveled to a friend's house in a place called Cortland. Naruto knew he was close.

Before he'd gone to sleep the night before, Naruto had cleared the hospital of any walkers, reinforced any possible entryway. While exploring and safeguarding his shelter of the night, he'd found the old kitchen and taken some of the canned foods. He ate well before he slipped his pack on his back and slinked his way to a back exit. He took a deep breath before steeling himself and heading out into the early morning sun.

* * *

**Day 59**

"Uh, sir. There's someone coming up the path. He looks kinda beat up, but we believe he's human. Uninfected," said Gaara.

Sasuke turned away from his desk and looked at his second in command, as it were. The red hair, guyliner, and face tattoo didn't seem any less striking than it had been the last time Sasuke'd seen the man. Gaara had a fascinating look about him, something that demanded attention and respect. That's why Sasuke had chosen him to help him lead his camp, Camp Konoha. He was a tough guy, more than slightly intimidating. He was brutal and fearless when facing walkers, yet level headed and wise when making decisions about the fifty plus people they housed in their walls.

Sasuke had been a normal guy before the disease. He'd gone to school, he was a karate instructor at a local dojo, he cared for his grandmother until she passed. He was responsible, quiet. He didn't have many friends, except for the few he'd made through karate.

Neji, mainly, was the only guy he hung out with. He was like Sasuke, of Asian descent, no family in the states, pale and dark haired. They were probably a peculiar pair, spending most of their time in silence together or toning their skills in hand-to-hand combat. They'd somehow formed a camaraderie, being intimidating together. They'd fought their way through many walkers, collecting survival supplies along the way, before finding their abandoned day camp turned military base. Along the way, any surviving humans they found came with them. They been at Camp Konoha for a month.

Presently, Sasuke scoffed.

"Gaara, the sir isn't necessary. I told you that," Sasuke said.

"Sorry, man. I'm a veteran. Ex-army, remember? It's natural for me," Gaara replied.

Sasuke nodded. Yeah, Gaara being military trained helped, too.

"Okay. Let's head to the gate," said Sasuke, heading out of his office.

It took two minutes to get to the gate from the main building of the camp, what used to be a building for camp counselors. By the time Sasuke walked up, about twenty people were milling around the double-inforced doors that separated them from the outside. They had heard about the man approaching their camp, too, and were scared that it might be a walker. The woods that Camp Konoha were nestled in were thick. Walkers hadn't found them in weeks.

Sasuke made his way through the small crowd to one of the lookout towers they'd built, the closest to the gate, and climbed up into what they called the bird's nest. The only person up there was a guy named Kiba, holding binoculars and an automatic rifle. They'd found him in a hunting supply store, barely warding off a wave of walkers. He'd help them stock their camp with ammunition and had taken up quarters with them. His hunting skills were very valuable when they went scavenging, which they did at least once a week when supplies ran low.

"What ya got, Kiba?" asked Sasuke.

"This guy, he's pretty filthy, man. He's pretty well armed, too. Seems like he has a couple pistols, judging by the holsters. Couple knives, too. I can't tell if he's been bit, though. He's covered in blood. His or not, no way of knowing from up here," Kiba informed, handing over the binoculars.

Sasuke had a look and tried to make out the guy's features. His hair was probably blonde, but his hair was filthy and matted and covered in dried blood at the moment. He was covered in blood, just as Kiba had said, and a dirt film an inch thick. There was no way of telling where the blood came from, but the guy seemed healthy enough. He was tired, that was obvious. But he wasn't limping, he was walking tall. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, thinking hard, naturally suspicious.

When the probably-blonde guy reached the gate, he stopped and looked right up at the nest. And then, most unexpected, he grinned and waved.

"Hey," he hollered.

The stranger's grin didn't waver as he put his hands on his hips.

Sasuke's brow furrowed, and he reached for the megaphone Kiba kept in the nest with him.

"Are you infected, stranger?" Sasuke asked in a firm tone.

The blonde man looked up at him for a second, seemed to be measuring him up. He didn't seemed very intimidated, like most people did when they first met Sasuke. Then the guy shrugged, smile not faltering.

"Not that I know of, mister. You must be in charge here, huh? I've been on my way up to New York from Florida since the outbreak. Looking for my cousin. I've had a hell of a few days trying to get through here, though. Lots of walkers in town, headed south as far as I could tell. I'm pretty sure none of them came close enough to bite me, but if you're kind enough to let me in, you can feel free to inspect me, man," the blonde answered.

He lowered his arms. Sasuke looked hard at him, thinking that the guy must be crazy to be so damn cheerful.

Sasuke looked over at Kiba.

"Well. What do you think?" Sasuke asked, more for Kiba than for himself. Sasuke already knew he was going to let the guy in.

Kiba just shrugged and grinned.

"Hey, I'm not the brains around here. You know that. He seems kind of crazy, but he looks okay. He doesn't have any symptoms. I say let him through," Kiba answered.

Sasuke nodded and started to climb down. Before his head cleared the hole in the bottom of the nest, he looked back at Kiba.

"Kiba. Keep that gun trained on this guy. Just in case," Sasuke said.

Kiba nodded and grabbed his walkie talkie, relaying the order to the other towers. They raised their guns subtly.

When Sasuke got to the ground, he nodded at the two guys manning the door. They started cranking the door open slowly, leaving it open just enough to allow the traveller through.

The blonde man walked through at a leisureley pace, nodding at each of the men at the entrance. He walked forward and stopped a couple feet in front of Sasuke. He looked around at the small audience, seemingly unperturbed by the eyes on him.

"We're going to have to keep those guns trained on you until you hand over your weapons. Just for the moment, just a precaution. Once you're cleared, you can have it all back," Sasuke said.

He expected some sort of resistance, but the guy just smiled and nodded.

"I understand," he answered, stripping himself of his holster and pulling a pocketknife from his back pocket. He set them on the ground at his feet, taking a couple steps back and allowing Gaara to come up and take them. As soon as they were in Gaara's possession, Sasuke waved at Kiba and the guys in the other bird nests to lower their weapons.

"If you will, come with us to the mess hall. There's an office in the back where our nurse is located. She'll check you out and, if you're fine, you can stay with us until you've regained some of your strength," Sasuke said, motioning for the traveller to follow him.

The blonde shrugged his pack further up his back and nodded.

"Sure thing, boss man," he said.

He walked carefully behind Sasuke and Gaara.

"So, what's your name?" Gaara asked in his quiet, no-nonsense tone.

"Naruto. Yours?" he returned.

"I'm Gaara. This is Sasuke. Sasuke is the leader of our camp. I'm his back-up. We've been here about a month," he answered.

Naruto nodded, taking this information in while looking around at the many buildings, noticing the barbed wire lining the top of the tall wall. People were starting to get back to work now that their fears were eased. They entered the mess hall and noise hit them. It was lunch time, so everyone that hadn't been in the middle of a job were here, eating. It was loud for there to only be about thirty people there.

Sasuke noticed that Naruto stopped following them and turned to see what was holding him up. He was staring at the back office, where Sakura, a medical student they called their nurse, was standing. She was talking to one of the older members of their group, a mother who had a feverish daughter.

"Naruto?" Sasuke questioned.

Gaara stopped a few steps ahead of them and turned as well.

Naruto didn't answer Sasuke's call, seemingly in another world. In a way, he kind of was. He'd found who he was looking for.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted.

There was a good bit of noise in the hall, but not enough to drown out the firm yell Naruto let out.

Sakura turned upon hearing her name, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. She took a step away from the woman she was talking to, and Naruto saw her whisper his name. The whisper got louder until Naruto heard her yell back.

"Naruto!" she screamed. And then she was running toward him.

And then, finally, she was in his arms.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto! You found me! I knew you would, and you did! Here you are!" she screamed gleefully.

Naruto laughed and picked her up, twirling with her in the air before setting her down in front of him and kissing her forehead.

"Hey, I'm your big cousin. I told you I'd always be there for you. I meant that," he told her.

His voice was just loud enough for Sasuke to hear. He didn't know why he was relieved the hear that Sakura was Naruto's cousin and not his girlfriend, but he was.

Sasuke watched them reunite and found a small smile creeping on his lips, one he saw reflected on the faces of the people in the dining hall. It had been a while since they'd had a reason to really smile.

Naruto was an interesting guy. As Sasuke studied him, he saw things he didn't notice before. Under the dirt and grime, he saw three identical scars on each of Naruto's cheecks. They were strange but they somehow accentuated his face, making his blue eyes stand out more. He was tan, clearly blonde now that he was close up, and he was probably pretty handsome under all that mess.

As Sasuke watched, Sakura pulled back from the embrace and held Naruto by the arms. Looking him over, she frowned.

"Naru, you're filthy . . . Are you hurt?" she asked, concerned.

Naruto just shrugged and smiled.

"Yeah. I've been stealing cars along the way. When I got into town, there were walkers swarming the city. They were all really confused, all running around in circles. They seemed to be headed south, like I told Sasuke," Naruto glanced at him and Sasuke resisted the urge to lower his eyes.

"But they seemed pretty hungry, too," Naruto continued, "When they caught my scent, they stormed the car and when I was trying to lose them, I lost control. Went down a small ravine on the other side of town. When I was slipping out of the car, some glass dug pretty deep in my side. I lost the walkers, though, since they were pretty distracted by the fire. I skirted through town and took cover in the woods. I saw some pretty faint tire tracks and followed them here," Naruto explained.

When he got done, he raised his shirt to expose the wound on his side. It wasn't that deep, but it was pretty wide. It appeared to still be bleeding. Sasuke berated himself for noticing Naruto's abs and the tattoo sprialing around his belly button instead of his wound first.

"God, Naruto. Come on, we're gonna have to get that cleaned up. And... well, check you for bites," Sakura said.

"No problem," Naruto answered.

"I'll come with you," Sasuke said. "Gaara, I think it's safe to give Naruto his weapons."

Gaara nodded and handed over Naruto's possessions.

"I'm going to go check the border. Maybe send some guys out to survey the area and see about those tire tracks leading straight to camp," Gaara said.

He walked away briskly, and Sakura led Sasuke and Naruto into her office. When the door was closed behind them, Sakura asked Naruto to strip. Sasuke willed himself to not get distracted.

"So, the tire tracks. You guys have vehicles?" Naruto asked.

"We have a couple jeeps out back. We only use them for emergencies, typically, but we rode them out a couple days ago to get supplies. As you've already noticed, the walkers in town are getting a little rowdy for some reason. We went out at night on our last mission. It was risky, but we needed a way to conceal ourselves better," Sasuke explained.

Naruto nodded, wincing slightly as Sakura used alcohol wipes on his cuts. She handed him a warm rag to clean some of the dirt away. He seemed completely comfortable to be standing there in front of Sasuke in nothing but boxers and socks, his clothes and weapons folded neatly on Sakura's desk.

Naruto took the rag and ran it over his face, snorting lightly as the white rag turned black and red.

"Geez, I haven't seen myself in a while, I guess. No wonder you guys were so wary when I showed up. If I'm this gross, I must've seemed like a walker," Naruto laughed.

Sasuke couldn't help but smiling, a fact that Sakura discreetly noted. Naruto turned his attention to her as she cleaned him up.

"How have you been, Sakura?" he asked.

"Obviously, much better than you. Me and Ino, I told you about her a few times, were holed up in her basement for a while until the food ran out. Her family and I tried to make it into the city after the outbreak, see if there were any safehouses or anything, when we were overtaken by those _things_. Her parents didn't make it. We got separated. We were lucky enough to be found by Gaara. Her parents, though..." Sakura shook her head as if trying to knock the memory out of her brain.

Naruto reached up and squeezed her shoulder.

"I am so sorry it took me so long to get here. I should never have left you alone," he said. His voice was laced with guilt.

"No. It wasn't you fault, Naru. You didn't know something like this would happen," she answered, kissing his cheek.

They shared a smile, and she continued looking him over.

"I don't see any bites. No major injuries other than the one on your side, either. You should get a shower. And some clothes..." Sakura trailed off, looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded and grabbed his walkie talkie from its place on his belt.

"Hey Kiba," Sasuke said.

"'Sup, man?" Kiba answered immediately.

"Neji out there anywhere?" he asked.

"Yeah, boss. You need him?" Kiba asked.

They could just hear him calling the Hyuuga over before he released his hold on the button.

"Can you tell him to bring some men's clothes, probably about Neji's size, over to the showers? I'll meet him there. Over and out," Sasuke said, ending the conversation, knowing his orders would be followed.

"Come on, Naruto. I'll show you the way over," he said to Naruto.

Naruto smiled and hugged Sakura tight before pulling his clothes back on.

"No problem. Sak'ra, I'll see you shortly, okay?" he asked, moving to follow Sasuke.

"Okay," Sakura sighed, as if she didn't want to let Naruto out of her sight. "I have some people to tend to anyway. Be careful."

"Of course, careful's my middle name," he stated, winking and following the leader out the door.

Alone with Naruto, Sasuke saw something underneath the tough, cheerful exterior. There was a weary look of despair behind Naruto's eyes, seemingly trying to push its way to the surface.

"Naruto, it must have taken a lot to fight your way here from Florida. Taken a lot of wit, a lot of balls, if you don't mind my saying. I don't know what your plan is, but I'd like it if you stayed on here. We could use more strength on our side," Sasuke proposed.

Naruto glanced over at him, still walking confidently but somewhat more serious. Naruto chewed on the inside of his lip.

"Sasuke, I'll be honest. I don't really have a plan. My only priority was to get to Sakura. Now that I've done that, I could really just use some rest. Cooked food. A proper night's sleep. She seems to like it here, to have a role here. I'm glad. I have no wish to leave, if you could find it in you to let me stay," Naruto replied.

Sasuke was surprised, if he told the truth. Naruto seemed to be the kind of guy to laugh off weakness, not to admit that he was tired to a guy he'd just met. Sasuke tried not to be suspicious, but he kind of was. Why would Naruto do anything to make himself seem vulnerable in front of the leader of this camp unless he had a plan to use that vulnerability?

"That'll be fine. But there isn't really any open room in the main cabins. If it would be okay with you, there's an extra bed. In my cabin," Sasuke said.

Naruto looked over at him, eyebrow raised.

"And you're offering that bed to me?" Naruto asked. "A guy you've just met?"

"Naruto, you seem like a good guy. A trustworthy guy. And if that's what you are, I'll be glad to have you here. And if you aren't, I'd rather have you close to me so I can keep an eye on you," Sasuke answered.

If Naruto was going to be honest, then so was Sasuke. Naruto soaked that information in as they gained sight of the showers.

"That's smart, Sasuke. Keep your friends close, after all," Naruto said. "But I promise you, I'm no enemy. I just want to watch out for Sakura. She doesn't have any other family. No one but me. And I know she doesn't exactly need looking out for, she's a tough chick. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. Stick me wherever you want to."

Sasuke nodded and walked up to Neji, at the entrance to the showers.

"Naruto, this is Neji. Neji, Naruto. Interestingly enough, he's Sakura's cousin. Came all the way here from Florida," Sasuke said.

Neji sized Naruto up before extending his hand. Naruto grinned and shook his hand.

"Sorry about being disgusting," Naruto laughed, bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his head after their handshake.

Neji made a noise of approval in the back of his throat.

"You're cute," Neji state.

Naruto's smile didn't fall, but he did raise an eyebrow pretty high.

"Thanks?" Naruto questioned.

Neji just smirked and handed him the pile of clean clothes in his hand: a blue t-shirt, some clean boxers and socks, some jeans.

"Those should fit," Neji said.

He nodded at Sasuke, winked at Naruto, and walked away.

"Okay?" Naruto asked, grinning at Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Neji's a quiet guy, usually. But he's kind of... promiscuous. Nothing to worry about," Sasuke told him.

"Oh, I'm not worried. He's kind of cute, too," Naruto said, winking.

Sasuke laughed nervously, but he didn't like the jealous rush he got from Naruto's statement.

"I'll let you get cleaned up. Meet me in the mess hall when you're done," Sasuke said before heading in the opposite direction.

* * *

Naruto stepped into the mess hall thirty minutes later. No one had told him to conserve water, so he didn't worry about, just enjoying the rush of almost-warm water. It woke him up. It mad him clean. Cleaner than he'd been in what felt like years.

The hall was near empty, only a few people milling about, so it was easy to spot Sasuke sitting by himself. He was reading his book, one earphone in his ear, the other hanging down his chest. Naruto nodded at the other people in the hall before making his way over to Sasuke. Everyone seemed to be in awe of him after hearing his story. Rumors had probably made him out to be some sort of hero.

He stood in front of Sasuke, across the table from him, and he looked up quickly. He stopped his music and for a moment, he was in awe, though no one else would be able to tell. A clean Naruto was a very handsome Naruto. His tan skin seemed to ripple, his hair seemed to shine with its own light, his eyes glowed. Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Naruto. I see the clothes fit," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah. Jeans might be a little short, but I tuck them into my boots anyway. Thanks so much, Sasuke. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me," Naruto said.

"No problem. Sakura has done a lot for us. At this point, a friend of hers is a friend of ours. And you're much more than her friend, you're her family," Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto smiled solemnly and nodded in response.

"Right," Sasuke stated, "Let's get you some food."

Sasuke showed him where the food was handed out and got a sandwich for himself. They sat across from each other at one of the long tables in the room, each on their own wooden bench. Naruto shoveled food in his mouth, and Sasuke tried not to watch him. He was eating as if he hadn't really eaten in a while.

When he was done, Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, I probably looked like a walker eating just now. I haven't had a warm meal in weeks. Lasagna tastes like heaven at this point," Narut explained.

Sasuke nodded and grabbed his book from the table, leading Naruto to where they stashed their trays.

"Come on, I'll show your our cabin," Sasuke said, leading him out of the dining area.

Naruto smiled at "our cabin," and followed.

* * *

The cabin was small, a desk in one corner, a bookshelf in the other. There was a duffel bag under one bed that Naruto assumed held most of Sasuke's material possessions since the room was pretty bare. Two twin beds on metal frames sat under the windows. Windows with newly installed bars over them. The cabin itself was on a bit of a hill, giving it a view of the rest of the camp. The only thing behind it until you hit the wall was a row of targets, obviously used frequently for target practice with arrows, knives, and guns.

Naruto tossed his bag onto the bed that was pristinely made, obviously never slept in. He took the few steps to the bookshelf and used a finger to scan over the titles. His eyebrow raised without him realizing it. Sasuke felt a bit self conscious.

The books were mostly literary classics, a couple of modern sci-fi and murder mysteries that looked untouched, a few romance novels that looked very worn. Naruto pulled one down and realized that there were two men on the front. A small smile pulled at the corners of Naruto's lips, but he said nothing. He slid the book back on the shelf and turned to look at Sasuke. His cheeks were tinged pink, betraying him.

Naruto laughed, a sudden, loud cough of a laugh.

"So. What do you-" Naruto began, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Sasuked questioned, his face cooling off quickly.

"Um, it's Sakura," the girl's voice said.

"Come in," Sasuke answered.

Sasuke was glad that Naruto was respectful enough not to answer the door himself.

Sakura pushed the door open slowly.

"Hey. I just wanted to say good night to Naruto," she said, not moving over the threshold.

Naruto grinned at Sasuke and followed her onto the small porch of the cabin.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and she wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning her head onto his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're here, Naruto," she said in a small voice.

"Me, too. I'm glad you're okay," he said.

She nodded, and they stood in silence for a moment, watching the sun make its way over the treeline. She pointed to their left.

"I'm staying in the first cabin there, cabin A. If you need anything. I need to go check on the little girl you saw early, Anna. Her fever broke earlier, but I'd still like to make sure she's okay. She's so young, you know. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" she said, squeezing his waist.

He nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay. Be careful. You're like my little sister, you know that?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded before walking away. Naruto went back inside to find Sasuke sitting on his bed, unlacing the boots on his feet.

"It's nice to see you two together again. I'd forgotten that when we first found Sakura, she'd said she had to stay in town because her cousin would come looking for her," Sasuke said.

Sasuke smirked at Naruto before continuing.

"She said he was thick headed and stubborn, there was no way he wouldn't come after her. She was scared that something would happen. More and more anxious every day, but she hid it well. She _is _tough, that girl," Sasuke told him.

Naruto looked out the window behind Sasuke, as if looking at something much farther than the wall around the camp and the woods behind it. Then he looked at Sasuke and smiled, the truest smile he'd seen that day that hadn't been directed at Sakura.

"Yeah. She is," Naruto said.

Sasuke looked down at his watch and then behind him out the window. About ten yards away, Gaara could be seen walking with a blonde girl with her hair in four ponytails. He nodded and turned back to Naruto.

"Tomorrow, we'll work out your work and surveillance schedules. We'll issue a more powerful gun and put you on guard duty, if that's okay. Everyone has a job or helps with a job that everyone shares," Sasuke said.

"That's fair," Naruto answered. "You're a good leader, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't really like praise, especially not from this new guy that succeeded in effortlessly intimidating him. Anyone who could still easily throw smiles around must be much tougher than Sasuke could ever be. Anyone who could make his way through countless states just to get to a family member but have testicles the size of exercise balls. Sasuke was brave, but not that brave.

"You wanna play cards?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto grinned and nodded. Sasuke pulled a deck of cards out of a drawer in the desk and sat in the floor, leaning on his bed. Naruto sat cross-legged in front of him and muttered something to himself.

"Hmm?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head and grinned.

"What are we playing?"

* * *

And hour and a half later, night had completely taken over. There was not much light in the camp, just a few lanterns hung on the outside of the main buildings, some light coming from some smaller cabins. Naruto and Sasuke laid in their respective beds. The curtains were drawn completely over their windows, except for a sliver near the head of Sasuke's bed. It allowed a little moonlight into the room, making Sasuke's hair seem blue-tinted in the light.

In the quiet, a static hiss came from the walkie talkie on the floor next to Sasuke's bed.

"Hey, cap'n. We're switching shifts," an energetic voice came that Naruto didn't recognize.

"Thanks for letting me know, Lee. See you in the a.m. Over and out," Sasuke answered.

"No prob. Night. O'n'o," he said.

Sasuke returned the walkie talkie to the floor, rolling onto his side to face Naruto.

"I'll introduce you to the other guards tomorrow, too," he said to the blonde boy.

Naruto nodded until he realized Sasuke may not see him.

"Thanks again, man," he replied properly.

"Mhm," Sasuke answered, sounding tired all of a sudden.

They laid there in quiet for a long time, listening to the other breathing and thinking their own thoughts. After a while, Sasuke sighed.

"Naruto?" Sasuke whispered.

"Hmm?" he answered.

"How'd you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?" Naruto sounded confused.

"How did you keep fighting? Keep looking, keep moving, when all this happened? It just seems so impossible to make it all the way here on your own," Sasuke answered.

"Oh," Naruto replied. "Easy. I'm used to losing things, Sasuke. I'm used to violence. I'm used to fighting to survive. It was a part of my life long before it was a part of everyone's. The walkers don't scare me. Nothing really does anymore. Except for losing the last bit of fmaily I have, ya know. Sakura is all I've got and I swore I'd protect her when she followed me to America. I intend to uphold that promise," Naruto explained passionately.

Sasuke made some noncommital noise in the back of his throat, his default answer when he didn't have another one. He'd asked for that answer, almost expected it. He wished he hadn't asked, though, because now he was curious about Naruto's life, about what had made him the way he was, about those scars on his cheeks. But he restrained from asking.

Like Naruto, Sasuke wasn't afraid of much. He didn't have anything to hold onto anymore. He knew everyone was gone, literally, but he'd cut them out of his life long before that. Everything seemed safer when he was alone, so he'd isolated himself in a country far from his own. Sasuke intended to keep himself in his solitude, no matter what.

"Hey Sasuke?" Naruto ventured

"Hmm?" Sasuke answered.

"What do you call this place? The camp?" Naruto asked.

"Oh. Camp Konoha." Sasuke stated.

Sasuke could hear the smile in Naruto's voice when he answered.

"Hidden Leaf... I like that," Naruto said.

"Yeah," Sasuke said.

"Night, Sas," Naruto said.

Sas... Sasuke liked that, even if he didn't want to. He'd never really had a nickname before.

"Good night, Naruto," Sasuke returned.

But he was interrupted by a soft snore on Naruot's side of the room. Sasuke smirked, rolled his eyes, and rolled over to face the wall. He spent a long time staring out the window, watching the light of a guard come closer until he passed the cabin. Eventually, Sasuke fell asleep.

* * *

R&R.

Thank you.

:)


	2. We're Fighters

Next chapter, anyone?

Disclaimer: Own nothing, as always.

* * *

**Day 60**

"Lee," Sasuke said,"This is Naruto. Naruto, this is Lee."

Naruto gave Lee an easy smile and offered a hand, which Lee shook with an overzealous energy that was customary to everything Lee did.

"It's very nice to meet you, Naruto. Welcome to our camp. I do hope you'll enjoy it here, everyone is very nice. Much better than out there, I can assure you. But, then again, I hear you know all about the outside. I heard you were Sakura's cousin, too. I'm glad you're here, she really missed you, and I know she'll be much happier with you here. And I like it when she's happy. B-but that's not to say-" he rambled.

"Lee," Sasuke said briskly.

"Heh, sorry. I do that. What I meant to say was 'Nice to meet you. Welcome,'" Lee corrected himself.

Naruto and Sasuke shared an amused look.

"You too, Lee. So, you have a thing for my cousin?" Naruto asked slyly.

Lee sputtered and blushed, not able to come up with a proper response. Naruto chuckled and shook his head.

"Lee, you can go back to work. We won't bother you anymore," Sasuke told him.

"T-thanks," Lee said, blushing and going back to the Jeep he was working on when Sasuke and Naruto had joined him.

"Sorry about that. Lee's a really good guy, but he has ADD and with no Ritalin, the guy can be kind of overbearing," Sasuke explained.

"Nah, it's no problem. I kinda liked the guy, actually," Naruto replied.

Sasuke nodded his head and led Naruto to a fairly large cabin on the side of camp across from their cabin. The cabin had to be the biggest, aside from the mess hall. When they entered, Naruto saw why. The building was a library. Mostly anyway. There was an office in the back corner where Naruto could see a flash of blonde hair.

"This way," Sasuke said, heading in the direction of the office.

Sasuke rapped on the door three times and waited for the blonde woman to invite them in.

"Yes?" she called.

Sasuke pulled the door open to reveal a slim blonde woman with glasses poring over a few books. She was wearing shorts and sneakers, her feet pulled into the chair underneath her. The navy shirt she wore emphasized her blonde hair and icy blue eyes, despite the glasses that drew attention from them.

"Oh, hi. Who's this?" the girl asked.

"Ino, I'd like you to meet Naruto. This is Ino," Sasuke introduced.

"Naruto? Sakura's cousin Naruto?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded and before Naruto could get a word out, Ino was out of her chair with her arms around Naruto.

"Oh, _thank God_. Sakura was worried sick. I heard about the traveller yesterday, but I haven't left the office except to eat and she wasn't in her office in the mess hall when I stopped in for dinner," Ino explained.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side slightly, a quizzical look on his face.

"Don't you and Sakura sleep in the same cabin?" he asked.

"Mhm. But she didn't come in until late last night. Temari said she'd seen her at your cabin, actually. When I woke up this morning, she was still asleep," Ino answered.

"She said she was going to go check on a little girl before she left last night. That was the last I'd seen her," Naruto provided.

"Hmm. Could be nothing, but we should go check it out when we leave," Sasuke said.

"You don't think something's wrong, do you?" Ino asked.

Sasuke gave a tight smile and shook his head.

"No. Just worried about the girl is all," Sasuke said.

Ino smiled, but the concern didn't leave her eyes. Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Ino, would you like to explain to Naruto what you're doing holed up in here?" he asked.

"Oh, sure. Naruto, you know Sakura and I were in school together, both in medical school. I studied experimental medicine, though. I was actually part of a team that worked some on the first vaccine - lot of good that did. But despite that failure, I did spent a lot of time studying the virus. We learned a lot about the way the virus mutated, the way it spread, the way it multiplied. I'm thinking, very timidly, that I might be able to find a way to stop it. Or at least to reverse it in some of the not-so-gone cases," Ino said, looking a little proud of herself.

Sasuke grinned.

"Ino is the brains of this operation, if you hadn't figured that out. And another reason, besides our obvious safety, that we have to protect this camp," Sasuke stated.

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Sakura always did surround herself with exceptional people," Naruto joked, winking.

"Well, we'll leave you to it. I know you prefer to work alone," Sasuke said.

Ino nodded and turned to Naruto, touching Naruto's arm lightly.

"I'm glad you made it, Naruto," Ino said lightly.

"Me too," Naruto answered.

Once outside the library, Sasuke turned to Naruto and ran a hand through his hair.

"We call that the book shack around here - don't ask me where the name came from. Ino's usually the only one in there, so if you need a distraction during downtime, feel free to check anything out. Now, would you like to go find Sakura and see what's up?" Sasuke asked.

"You know I am," Naruto answered.

Sasuke nodded.

"I figured as much. Let's go," he said.

* * *

They found Sakura walking away from their cabin.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, there you guys are," Sakura sighed.

She hugged Naruto quickly, staying close to him.

"I was looking for you, Sasuke. It's about Lucillia," she said darkly.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'd rather talk about it in your cabin. I wouldn't want anyone to get... worried," she said in a low voice.

Sasuke made a noise in the back of his throat and gestured for her to lead the way. Once inside, he shut the door behind them and Sakura sat in the only chair in the room. Naruto sat on the edge of his bed, and Sasuke leaned against the wall with his arms heaved a heavy sigh.

"It might not mean anything..." Sakura started.

"What might not mean anything?" Sasuke questioned.

Sakura shook her head and rested her elbows on her knees,running her hands over her face.

"It's the girl, Lucillia. You know she was sick? I thought it was nothing, at first. I mean, she hasn't had any outside contact, right? It could be anything. She had a low-grade fever at first, I assumed it was probably just a cold. The weather is changing, and we're out here in the woods. But..." Sakura trailed off, biting her lip.

"But?" Sasuke prompted.

"Well, the fever broke. And then came back. When I checked on her last night, she was boiling hot. I got her some medicine and sat with her and her mother for a few hours, watching her. Making sure nothing changed. Eventually, Heather, her mom, told me I should get some sleep. Lucillia seemed stable," Sakura construed.

"So how is she now? The girl?" Naruto asked.

Sakura shook her head again.

"I went by this morning. She's...she's really confused, guys. She's not acting right. She thought her mom was a 'bad man' for, like, five minutes before she calmed down. But she's definitely disoriented. It seems like she must be...infected," Sakura heaved the word out as if it physically pained her to do so.

Sakura and Naruto both trained their eyes on Sasuke. Even if Naruto had just arrived, he knew Sasuke was in charge; making decisions about the camp and the people in it was his responsibility. Sasuke's eyes were narrowed as he stared at a spot on the floor. After a long moment, he looked up. He looked from Naruto to Sakura and sighed.

"Before we decide anything, I think we should go check on the girl. We need to know for sure before..." Sasuke trailed off, but he didn't need to finish. They both knew where that thought was going.

Sasuke reached for his walkie talkie.

"Kiba?" Sasuke questioned.

"Yeah, boss?" the boy answered, quickly as always.

"Whoever's closest to the book shack, get them to grab Ino and send her to Heather's cabin," Sasuke ordered.

"Yessir," Kiba answered in a no-nonsense tone.

The three left the cabin quickly, Sakura in the lead - biting her lip, Naruto in the middle - brows furrowed, and Sasuke in the back - fists clenched.

Reaching a cabin in the middle of the camp, Sakura knocked hard on the wooden door.

"Heather? It's Sakura. I'm here to check on Lucy!" she said. Her tone was cheerful, but clearly forced.

"O-oh, Sakura! Um, thanks for coming but uh, no, Lucy's fine!" Heather called, nervous laughter lacing her speech.

Sakura looked back at Sasuke and Naruto, eyes wide. That was not a good sign.

"Heather, it's Sasuke. Can we come in?" he asked.

There was a pregnant pause, the three on the doorstep exchanging glances, before Heather appeared at the door, only leaving a small enough space for her face to stick out. Her body shielded the entire opening.

"Oh! Hi. Hi, Sasuke. And Sakura. And..? W-who might this be?" Heather asked, still stuttering.

Her body language was tense and guarded. Asking about Naruto was a distraction, that was obvious. Sakura played along.

"This is my cousin Naruto. I told you about him a few times. He's the boy from the mess hall yesterday. We talked about him, didn't we? But that's not important. Lucy?" Sakura asked again.

Sasuke was getting edgy beside her, but he held his tongue. He let Sakura handle the situation, hoping her closeness to Heather would help them.

"Right, right. I didn't get much sleep, you know. I forgot. Welcome, Naruto," Heather offered.

"Thanks, ma'am," Naruto said courteously.

"Heather. We really need to check on Lucy now. Okay?" Sakura insisted.

Heather looked at all of them frantically before bursting into tears, but she nodded and opened the door for them. They stepped in, not bothering to close the door behind them.

There in the corner was the little girl from yesterday, but her skin looked duller than before. Whereas she had been caramel skinned before, she was a dull tan now. She was pouring sweat; her dark, shoulder-length hair was matted to her face and neck. Her mouth was open, panting, but her eyes were squeezed shut. She was tangled in a blanket, her arms and legs hanging over the sides of her bunk. There were scratch marks on her arms that looked self-inflicted.

Heather crumpled into a chair, face buried in her hands. Her body wracked with barely silenced sobs.

"H-heather? What happened?" Sakura questioned.

"She...she's just not the same! It's just like with Jeremy...She's delusional, scratching her arms until she bleeds, itches that probably aren't there! I...I don't know what to do!" Heather cried.

Sakura placed a hand on the woman's head. While Sakura comforted her, Sasuke and Naruto stepped out onto the porch.

"Who's Jeremy?" Naruto asked in a hushed tone.

"I believe that's the name of Heather's husband. He was infected," Sasuke said.

"Aah. Well, I've seen this before, that's for sure. That girl... She has the virus," Naruto said.

Sasuke sighed, pushing the air out like he was trying to push a heavy pressure off of his chest.

"I know," he said.

He looked up to see Ino approaching from the direction of the book shack.

"Sasuke? What's going on?" Ino asked.

"Shh. Lucillia is infected, we're pretty sure. We want you to assess the situation, you've seen the virus much earlier than any of us, probably. And up close, too. Help Sakura if you will. I really want to be wrong, Ino," Sasuke told her.

She chewed her lip, looking from Naruto and Sasuke to the open doorway behind them where Sakura was trying to calm Heather. She nodded.

"I'll be a minute," she said.

The two men watched from the doorway as Sakura and Ino stripped the girl down to her underwear and checker her. There on her upper thigh was a wound a few inches wide - a bite mark that was obviously infected. Sakura and Ino looked over at Sasuke and Naruto. Each of them reflected the same look of dread.

* * *

"There's no other answer, Sasuke, and you know there isn't. We're wasting time just sitting here. That girl is going to be violent _soon_. She'll be one of them. And we have to stop that. We have people to protect!" Neji yelled.

"I know that, Neji! But she's just a girl! She's eight years old, for fuck's sake!" Sasuke returned.

"Guys, there's no need to argue. Sasuke, I'm with Neji on this one. The most important thing here is the safety of our community. I know it's inhumane and unethical, but she's _not _a little girl anymore. He's right on this one. We have to take care of her," Gaara replied calmly.

Gaara tended to be the peacekeeper between Sasuke and Neji during their daily spiffs, and this time was no different. The two were so similar that it was easy for conflict to rise. This time, however, was more serious than usual. This time, they were discussing killing one of their own.

Sasuke slumped into the chair behind his desk and stared hard at the floor.

"I know. I know that. It's just...I don't understand how this could have happened. We're so damn careful," Sasuke said.

Neji frowned and uncrossed his arms.

"Look, man. I know this is tough. I know it is. I'm just trying to think of everyone here," Neji said.

Sasuke nodded and stood.

"Yeah. Come on. Let's just take care of this before things get out of hand," he said.

When they got outside, there was a crowd milling around the cabin. They looked scared. Sasuke remained on the porch, a couple steps above everyone.

"Guys, guys. Listen up," Sasuke called out.

The crowd came to a hush.

"I'm sure you've all heard what's going on. I'm confirming that yes, Lucillia is infected. She was bitten. I know this situation is scary. It's terrifying. This is one of our own we're talking about. I'm asking you to remain calm. We have a plan," Sasuke paused as he locked eyes with Naruto, who was standing at the back of the crowd.

"After lunch, I'm sending five teams to survey the border. We've been patrolling constantly, but there must be something we've missed. The only explanation for Lucillia's bite is that she left the camp unattended. We're assuming she didn't leave through the main entrance, since it's always guarded. It's a mystery as to how she got back, where she was when she got bit, or why she even left. We'd ask, but Lucillia... she's past responding. She's not aware of her surroundings anymore. I don't want you folks to worry. We've got complete control over the situation. We're still safe. We're going to make sure this place is secure. We sent scouts out yesterday to check the area. There were no walkers within a ten mile radius in any direction. We're still hidden. This is our home. Camp Konoha is _our _home. We are fighters, survivors. This place is ours, and we intend to keep it that way," Sasuke said.

A shout rose from the crowd, a battlecry, enthusiastic and reassured. Sasuke looked over the people in front of him, his wards, some of them younger than he was, most of them older. He gave them a small smile. He cared for these people. He'd met them mostly one by one. He'd gotten to know them. He was usually the one that found them and brought them in, showed them around, explained how things worked. All of them, they _were_ fighters. He respected each of them. They respected him. Admired his courage. He was proud of them. He intended to defend them.

Sasuke split the men into teams, divvied up the jobs between the women. Told them that life as they knew it would return to normal the next day. They were still solemn as they parted, but they were rejuvenated. They'd lived so long in fear, it was nice to see them with some fire in them.

Naruto walked over to Sasuke, along with Gaara and Neji.

"Well...I guess we need to get this over with," Sasuke said.

He looked at each of the men before him, his old friend Neji, his partner Gaara, his...whatever Naruto may be. He was glad to have them there because he wasn't sure he'd have the strength to do this without them.

Reaching Heather's cabin for the second time that day, they didn't bother to knock. Inside, Heather was asleep on the top bunk in the cabin. Sakura and Ino sat at a table, talking quietly. The girl, Lucillia, was tied to the bed. She was still panting, but now she was also foaming at the mouth and making guttural moans every minute or so. When the guys entered, Sakura stood.

"I gave some stuff to Heather to... well, to let her pass out. She didn't need to be awake for this," Sakura said.

Naruto went over and wrapped his arms around his cousin. Sakura was thankful for the embrace.

Ino stayed seated, staring at her hands where they rested on the table. She chewed intensely on her lip.

"Should we.. should we do this here?" Naruto asked over Sakura's head.

Sasuke shook his head.

"We shouldn't. Let's take her over to behind my cabin, not so many people will be able to see up there. I can't do it in her own quarter," Sasuke answered.

Neji and Gaara walked over to the bed and untied the girls arms, pushing her into a sitting position and bringing her arms around to her back. Upon the close contact with them, the girl starting growling. Her eyes didn't open.

When her arms were tied, they hefted her up. Neji held her torso up while Gaara had her legs. As respectfully as they could, they carried her out. Sasuke and Naruto excused themselves and followed.

"We should do this properly. Put blanks in all the guns except for one, so no one will know who took her out," Gaara stated.

Sasuke inclined his head.

"Yeah. I've got some in the cabin, I think. Hold on," Sasuke said.

He was back a minute later, and they filled all the guns but one, then put them into a bag. The handguns were identical, as were the looks on each of the men's faces. Naruto was leaning on the cabin. He had only been there a day, so Sasuke didn't feel as if taking care of Lucillia was his responsibility. Naruto tried to argue, but honestly, he was glad.

Lucillia was tied to a chair now, head slumping forward slightly. The animalistic sounds she let out were more frequent, less human.

"Ready?" Neji asked.

All three of them lifted their handguns.

"On three?" he suggested.

The other two nodded.

"Okay. One," he began.

They took aim.

"Two."

Naruto looked away.

"Three."

Shots rang out through the camp.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke tried to take a nap. Sasuke was going to patrol that night, regardless of if it was his turn or not. He was going to show Naruto the routine. Try as they might, however, the image of the dead little girl, of burning her body, pushed at the back of their eyes. After a couple hours, at dusk, they slowly rose and laced their shoes back on.

"Hey Sasuke?" Naruto questioned.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said.

Sasuke looked up at the boy for a long moment before nodding and leading him out the door. They were just starting their rounds when Lee's voice came through on Sasuke's walkie talkie.

"Boss, we found a hole in the wall. Tiny, just bit enough for the girl to fit through. Eastern wall. We're patching it now," Lee relayed.

"Okay. Make sure it's the only one," Sasuke ordered.

"Right. O.n.o."

"Over and out."

They walked in silence for the most part, with Sasuke giving Naruto pointers every once in a while. It was almost peaceful. There wasn't much noise since the night was moving in on them. Mostly just the sound of their footsteps, the wall beside them, their hands brushing every few minutes.

Sasuke eventually moved away from Naruto, discreetly. He had to keep his camp on the forefront of his mind. It didn't matter if he was attracted to Naruto. It didn't matter if the golden-haired boy was beautiful and smart and funny. Didn't matter he was brave and strong. Sasuke had people to look out for. He had to be careful. He had to be responsible. Sometimes, Sasuke wished that wasn't so.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, noticing the new distance between them. He thought about saying something to him. But, then again, what could he say? He didn't know the people here, just Sakura, really. This wasn't his community, these weren't his friends. Sasuke was stressed, that was clear in his stance and his tight muscles. Naruto frowned. Sasuke was young. Naruto didn't know how old he was exactly, but he had to guess that he was about Naruto's age. Too young for the pressure of an entire community to be on his shoulders.

Naruto had just about made his mind up to say something when a woman's scream made it to their ears. They stopped for a heartbeat before taking off in the direction of camp.

Reaching the dead center, they saw the crowd around Heather's cabin. Pushing their way through, Sasuke and Naruto bounded in. Sakura was on the floor just inside the doorway. Heather was inside, hanging from a rafter, the rope around her neck.

* * *

Second chapter!

I know it's a bit out there (and a bit shorter), but I think I like this story and where it's headed. It's pretty different from the stuff I usually write, but I'm enjoying it, despite how depressing it is. I'm sure I can find a happy ending in there somewhere, though, bare with me.

I appreciate feedback, feel free to review!

Til next time.

Maci


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